Only 7th woman recognized by UA biz school

Andalusia’s Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes is among the seven business professionals to be inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame this fall.

She is also the seventh woman honored in the event which has recognized more than 200 people since it was established in 1974.

Other 2018 inductees include Jeffrey Bayer, of Birmingham; Don James, of Birmingham; Charles McCrary, of Birmingham; Randy Owen, of Fort Payne; James Pursell, of Fayetteville; and John Rhoads, of Birmingham (awarded posthumously).

Barnes founded her bread company in her home kitchen using her grandmother’s yeast-roll recipe, and transformed the business into a national brand that produces more than 9 million rolls per day.

In September of 2000, Barnes sold the stock in her company to Lancaster Colony, a specialty foods corporation in Columbus, Ohio, whose broad marketing system has propelled Sister Schubert’s Rolls into a national brand with distribution in each state in the country as well as abroad.

Today, the rolls are prepared at state-of-the-art bakeries in Luverne, Alabama, and Saraland, Alabama, and Horse Cave, Kentucky. In addition to the original Parkerhouse roll, Sister Schubert’s product line has grown to include cinnamon, sausage, dinner and pretzel rolls, as well as mini loaves. The company has a growing retail sales department, which offers fancy gift boxes and other gift items including Sister’s own cookbook, marketed on-line at www.sisterschuberts.com. Sister Schubert’s also produces specialty food service rolls for Chick-Fil-A and other national restaurant chains.

Barnes sits on numerous boards, including those of the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame and the dean’s board for the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University.

She also has served as a visiting executive in the Lowder School of Business at AU. She serves as president of the Barnes Family Foundation.

She attended Troy University, Auburn University and The University of Alabama.

Barnes has received numerous awards. In 1993, Southern Living named her as an Outstanding Southerner. In 2003, Girl Scouts awarded Barnes with the Woman of Distinction award. Alabama asked her to be a Culinary Ambassador for their year of Alabama food in 2005. In 2009, the Alabama Broadcasters Association named her Citizen of the Year, and in 2000 Auburn’s Lowder School of Business named her Entrepreneur of the Year.

National Kappa Delta awarded her the KD Woman of Achievement Award for outstanding success in professional and charitable endeavors and Kappa Delta also named her one of KD’s awe Inspiring Women over 50 in 2006.

The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business will honor this year’s class of inductees in a Nov. 15 celebration at the Hyatt-Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel.